Recent Developments in Thermal and Catalytic Recycling of Plastic Waste

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2024 | Viewed by 1160

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Department of Basic and Applied Science for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, RM, Italy
Interests: thermodynamics of vaporization; thermodynamics of phase transitions; thermal stability; decomposition kinetics; ionic liquids
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Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: polymerization kinetics; thermal degradation kinetics; modeling of radical and step polymerization reactions; polymer nanocomposites; calorimetry; polymer recycling
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Faculty of Technology, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Interests: pyrolysis; thermal pyrolysis; fixed bed reactor; process parameteras; plastic waste

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Contemporary methods of thermo-chemical recycling plastic waste, such as pyrolysis, lead to the production of a series of secondary valuable products. The use of suitable catalysts is necessary for the synthesis of targeted products, such as hydrocarbons in common liquid fuels, or specific phenols. Furthermore, it is helpful to have a clear picture of the products obtained after the pyrolysis of real plastic waste, rather than model polymers/blends, since the existence of several additives in small quantities often leads to the formation of potentially harmful compounds.

Is a pre-treatment step for plastic waste necessary before thermo-chemical recycling? Do contaminants affect the quality of the final product, i.e., pyrolytic oil? If so, to what extent, and what are the possibilities of its further usage? What are the possibilities of mixing pyrolytic oil and commercial transport fuels? These are just some of the issues that are of particular interest in the further commercialization of plastic waste pyrolysis technologies. 

Prof. Dr. Stefano Vecchio Ciprioti
Prof. Dr. Dimitris S. Achilias
Prof. Dr. Saša Papuga
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
  • post-consumer plastic waste
  • pyrolysis
  • gasification
  • decoupling
  • biomass
  • biofuel
  • bio-oil

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 2865 KiB  
Article
Effect of Feed Mass, Reactor Temperature, and Time on the Yield of Waste Polypropylene Pyrolysis Oil Produced via a Fixed-Bed Reactor
by Saša Papuga, Jelena Savković, Milica Djurdjevic and Stefano Vecchio Ciprioti
Polymers 2024, 16(10), 1302; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16101302 - 7 May 2024
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Abstract
This paper presents the results of investigations into the pyrolysis of waste polypropylene in a laboratory fixed-bed batch reactor. The experiments were designed and verified in such a way as to allow the application of the response surface methodology (RSM) in the development [...] Read more.
This paper presents the results of investigations into the pyrolysis of waste polypropylene in a laboratory fixed-bed batch reactor. The experiments were designed and verified in such a way as to allow the application of the response surface methodology (RSM) in the development of an empirical mathematical model that quantifies the impacts mentioned above. The influence of the mass of the raw material (50, 100, and 150 g) together with the reactor temperature (450, 475, and 500 °C) and the reaction time (45, 50 and 75 min) was examined. It has been shown that the mass of the raw material, i.e., the filling volume of the reactor, has a significant influence on the pyrolysis oil yield. This influence exceeds the influence of reactor temperature and reaction time. This was explained by observing the temperature change inside the reactor at three different spots at the bottom, middle, and top of the reactor. The recorded temperature diagrams show that, with greater masses of feedstock, local overheating occurs in the middle part of the reactor, which leads to the overcracking of volatile products and, from there, to an increased formation of non-condensable gases, i.e., a reduced yield of pyrolytic oil. Full article
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